Heroes of the California wildfire catastrophe
“The world has never been as close to going to hell in a hand basket as it is today. Never in the history of humanity have we been so close to planetary catastrophe…”
Bernardo Kastrup
“To outsiders, Los Angeles can come off as a faceless sprawl filled with artifice and isolation. But those who live there discover that every neighborhood and every backyard is its own universe. Each hub of the region has its own character, cuisine, vernacular, soul and landmarks.”
Shawn Hubler
New York Times
“Human stories don’t have to end with disaster and death. Instead, catastrophes can signal the beginning of something new.”
Grace Moore
We’re facing extreme cold weather here in Charleston all next week. Never have I known a cold spell to last this long in our part of the country.
But then I just saw this headline:
SoCal faces most urgent warning for strong winds, extreme fire danger
How dangerous and extreme can the weather get?
The horrific and powerful Santa Ana winds are returning to Southern California. It’s Sunday, January 19 as I write this.
The destruction caused by the tragic and unprecedented inferno created by the Los Angeles wildfires two weeks ago has been so shocking to see that I am still trying to fathom the extent of the utter devastation caused by a conflagration that was rapidly spread by 50-100 mph Santa Ana winds, shooting burning embers across, and destroying, entire neighborhoods and communities.
I watched an hour of one video of a drive on a sunny, clear day through Pacific Palisades after the fire, and except for a few houses and buildings left standing, everything else was in ash and ruins. I was riveted by mile after mile of the vast wasteland that a once green, vibrant and affluent coastal community, Pacific Palisades, had become. Half a dozen wildfires, left 24 dead and 12,000 structures destroyed. I kept hearing the devastation being described as “apocalyptic.” Indeed it was and still is.
After watching countless videos, many of which were utterly heartbreaking, I had to turn away, donate where I could, and mourn for the thousands of individuals and families that lost everything.
But will this surreal catastrophe result in more fireproof new homes, as well as countless other changes that might make the fire-prone areas safer? I’m skeptical that it will. And who can even afford to rebuild after losing insurance coverage.
I selected some videos that captured the emotions, sadness and bravery of that history-making fire starting on January 7. What is the world coming to?
Firefighting heroes
https://youtube.com/shorts/6_LhKjRVYBc?si=sf0HHXwCJlzai_XW
Just a portion of the devastation
https://youtu.be/BuHbUnu5XpY?si=cV4dwCHc_h4RoBH_
https://youtube.com/shorts/VOX1tDLZ1lE?si=IQx66aotmUSYeSPA
Lost dog found
My daughter lives in LA and I asked her to leave the city for a week, because I was so worried about the air quality, and that the power might go out any second.
@ravdiablo I hope she stays safe. Those fires are impacting the entire region with unprecedented consequences. I still can hardly fathom the scale of the destruction. And, after this, what will residents of the area, including your daughter, feel about staying there, even if they weren’t directly impacted this time?
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You are so right Oswego! Those firefighters are truly heroes — sometimes working 24 hours on the line without sleep or food. Having worked for the Forest Service and knowing the firefighters there — they’re just ordinary guys until they’re called to a fire. And then they put on their Superman capes if needed. God bless them, every one.
@ghostdancer I have the utmost respect and admiration for thrm.
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Many years ago I lived in southern California, just north of LA. This was in early 2000’s, and there were some bad fires that year as well. I was living in a rural area at the time in a tiny town surrounded by national forest. I can remember them going thru town with bullhorns warning people to prepare to evacuate. The fires were close enough to me that the sky turned yellow and the air smelled of smoke. I got together whatever important stuff I could cram in a few boxes (as well as some clothes) and had my cat’s carrier ready to go. Luckily the firefighters were able to stop the blaze on the other side of the mountain which was about three miles from my house. I was quite fortunate that the fire never reached my town. But what was interesting was what happened when the rains finally came and spring arrived. Areas with nothing but gnarled, blackened trees and ash covered grown soon sprouted bright green grasses. It was quite surprising how quickly the landscape recovered. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case for many of those in the town on the other side of the mountain.
@schrecken13 Land can heal after a wildfire, but whole cities and neighborhoods leveled by fire take much longer to come back.
I think this wildfire year in L.A. will change the whole paradigm of what constitutes livable terrain and geography for human habitation that is not extremely dangerous and precarious in Southern California and other areas where people consciously choose to live in urban/wild interface areas. I can’t even imagine living there.
@oswego I agree. There are just some places on this earth where it is unwise for people to live. It’s unfortunate that fire prevention hasn’t been taken seriously out there, for many years. Many people like to have trees and shrubs on their property and around their homes. But doing so in a desert is inviting trouble. They constantly warned property owners to keep any sort of vegetation away from their homes but few heeded that advice. And then there are earthquakes. I remember driving around LA and looking up at all those tall skyscrapers knowing that when the “big one” hits many will crumble to the ground. I don’t at all regret moving out of California!
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